PHILADELPHIA – Playing their second straight game on the road, Fordham University women's basketball heads down to Philly Wednesday night for a meeting with Saint Joseph's, looking to extend a season-best five game winning streak.
Turn Up and Tune In
Rams at a Glance
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Fordham (10-6, 4-1) remains undefeated in the New Year, winning four in a row since the calendar flipped to 2025, most recently defeating Loyola Chicago in the Windy City Saturday afternoon 68-53.
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The Rams winning streak also includes wins over defending A-10 champions, Richmond on Jan. 2, 80-78, a buzzer-beating, 64-62 victory on the road at Duquesne on Jan. 5, and a 61-53 home win over George Washington on Jan. 8.
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Over the win streak, Fordham is averaging 68.3 points per game, shooting 44.0% as a team from the floor and 37.1% from three point range.
By the Numbers
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56 - Fordham has only allowed more than 56 points scored twice in any of their 10 wins on the year, holding LIU to a season-low 43 points on Dec. 8.
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60 - The magic number to victory this season, the Rams are 10-2 in games where they've scored at least 60 points.
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4-for-4 - Saturday saw the fourth straight game with four different players in double figures, marking the first time ever since joining the A-10 ahead of the 1996-97 season, the Rams have accomplished such a feat.
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4-and-1 - Fordham has opened conference play 4-1 four times since the 2019-20 season. A win over St. Joe's however, would give the Rams their best start to league play since they started the 2017-18 A-10 campaign 5-1 as well, and started 6-0 the year prior.
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8 - Eight different Rams enter the weekend averaging at least 2.8 rebounds per game.
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11 - The Rams went the first 11 games of the year without allowing 70 or more points to any opponent, and have held nine teams this season below 60 points.
Where the Rams Rank
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Fordham has crashed the offensive glass all season long, ranked fourth in the A-10 and 45th in the nation averaging an even 14.0 offensive rebounds per game, and holds a +4.1 rebounding margin, 98th best in Division I.
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Defensively, the Rams defense has wreaked havoc on its opponents, placing second in the A-10 and 53rd in the country forcing an even 20.00 turnovers per game, and hold the fourth best turnover margin in the league at 1.06.
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The Maroon and White have also collected 9.7 steals per game, fourth in the conference and 87th best in the nation.
Leading the Herd
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Taylor Donaldson has led the Rams in scoring in seven of the last eight games, and sits amongst the top-50 players in the nation in a plethora of statistical categories, including points per game (53rd), steals per game (42nd), three pointers per game (8th), and total three pointers made (29th).
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Pacing the offense and ranked second in the A-10 at 18.1 points per game, Donaldson enters the weekend leading the conference in three pointers made per game at 3.14, and sits fourth in the A-10 and in steals per game at 2.57.
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Irene Murua leads the team and sits second in the league in field goal percentage shooting 57.8% from the field this season. Murua also tops the Rams rebounding numbers with 6.4 per contest, placing her 12th best in the conference.
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Taya Davis sits second in the A-10 and 70th in the nation at 4.5 assists per game to lead the team in that category.
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Chaé Harris has been consistent whether in the starting five or coming off the bench, making 11 starts while averaging 8.7 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game.
Matchup History
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Last time Fordham and St. Joe's met was just before the start of the A-10 tournament a year ago, with the Rams toppling the then top seeded Hawks in Philadelphia, 62-57.
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Donaldson led the Rams in that game with 18 points along with nine from Taya Davis.
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St. Joe's holds a 39-16 advantage in the all-time series against the Rams, though Fordham has won seven of the last eight meetings dating back to the 2018-19 campaign.
Scouting St. Joe's
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Starting off the year 12-2, the Hawks are looking to snap their first losing streak of the season, falling to Duquesne and at VCU in their last two games, sitting at 3-2 in league play.
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The Hawks lead the A-10 and sit 15th in the nation at 18.4 assists per game, sits top five in the league and top 75 nationally in nearly every scoring statistic, along with a number of defensive accolades as well.
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Laura Ziegler sits fourth in the country at 11.5 rebounds per game, and sixth in the league in blocks per game (1.00) and assists per game (4.4)
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Three players sits top-11 in the league in field goal percentage, led by Tayla Brugler, leading the league and 37th nationally at 55.0%, followed by Mackenzie Smith, sixth in the conference at 48.9% and Ziegler at 41.2%
End to End Effort
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In a dominant performance the Rams spent 31:08 with the lead to claim their fourth straight victory Saturday afternoon, 68-53 over Loyola Chicago.
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For the first time ever since joining the A-10 back before the 1995-96 campaign, the Rams saw four players finish in double figures for the fourth game in a row, led by Donaldson with 17 points including four makes from beyond the arc, along with five assists and three rebounds.
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Irene Murua and Chaé Harris added 13 points each, along with a block apiece and five and three rebounds, respectively.
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Rounding out the quartet, Taya Davis tallied 10 points and a season-high nine assists, and a team-best four steals, collecting a third of the Rams' 12 as a team on the night.
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Emma Wilson-Saltos nearly made it five Rams in double figures, adding nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and four rebounds.
Next Stop
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Fordham returns home to The Bronx Saturday afternoon for the Centennial Celebration of the Rose Hill Gym's founding when they take on Dayton at 2:00 p.m.
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The first 100 fans at Saturday's game will receive free limited edition "Rose Hill 100" crewnecks, while all fans in attendance will receive free t-shirts. In a special partnership with Coca-Cola, limited-edition "Rose Hill 100" Coca-Cola bottles will also be given out while supplies last.
